England's enterprise stifled by MCG pitch ahead of third Ashes Test

Greg Chappell, Australia's first full-time selector, has inherited a crisis and he believes that it is caused in part by the deteriorating standard of Australian pitches. Where once there was life and variety, with the Test pitch in every city having a distinctive flavour, now predictability all too often abounds. This moribund MCG pitch would fill him with despair. Australian cricket is struggling to connect with the next generation and surfaces like this will drive them away in their droves. Attractive cricket was virtually impossible on a surface that stifled enterprise. • Interactive guide to all the Ashes venues • Sign up now for our weekly email The Spin • How to stay awake during the Tests • Follow our daily blog throughout the Ashes • The latest news and comment on our Ashes site It all meant that England's fast-bowling shoot-out ahead of the third Test in Perth this week has been a dud. By the end of day two against Victoria Tim Bresnan's first-innings dismissal of Ryan Carters had been the only success in 78 overs shared between Bresnan and his two rivals for a pace bowling spot at the Waca, Chris Tremlett and Ajmal Shahzad. Bresnan is regarded as the most parsimonious, most likely to offer the sort of control that the injured Stuart Broad achieved in the first two Tests. Tremlett looked in good rhythm, but England will debate long and hard whether he can transfer that form to a Perth Test. Shahzad needed a shoal of wickets to be considered and is no longer in the running. The mood of the fast bowlers' union was not lightened when Victoria tried to accelerate to a declaration and Paul Collingwood chanced upon three wickets in five overs. Andrew Strauss then resorted to seven overs of declaration bowling from himself and Eoin Morgan, which conceded 88 runs, and brought the captain the third first-class wicket of his career. Strauss, who had been bowling conventional slow left-arm, slipped in a chinaman and had Michael Hill lbw, adding to a select list of victims that also includes Kevin Pietersen and the former New Zealand captain Steven Fleming. Victoria closed the second day on 278 for six, a lead of 310, and the prospect of an England run chase on the final day. At a time when Australia desperately needs to identify its next generation, Victoria could take heart from the displays of two debutants, Ryan Carters, who made a second-innings half-century, and Alex Keath, whose rejection of an Australian rules football contract in favour of a cricket career is a rare breakthrough at an opportune time. He made 46 before he was fooled by Collingwood's slow‑motion bouncer. Australian self analysis is everywhere. James Sutherland, Cricket Australia's chief executive, warned a Melbourne Cricket Club dinner on Friday night that Australian cricket was in danger of losing its central place in the national imagination and that it must widen its appeal beyond a narrow audience of predominantly white, middle-aged males. That meant, he said, that Australians of all cultures and backgrounds had to see their aspirations reflected in the game. "If our fellow countrymen can't see that reflection, cricket can't lay a claim to being a sport for all Australians," he warned. "Cricket will lose its treasured place in the national imagination – and the magnificent history, tradition and culture of Australian cricket will have no meaning to our grandchildren." While the Ashes series remains, interest is high and the selection of the Western Australia left-arm spinner Michael Beer , a 26-year-old with only five first-class matches behind him when called up, is viewed with widespread cynicism. One of the most trenchant critics has been Stuart MacGill, a leg-spinner unfortunate enough to play in the days of Shane Warne, but who still managed to take 208 wickets in 44 Tests. Those who remark that Warne is a tough act to follow might reflect that playing at the same time is even tougher. MacGill told Sydney's Daily Telegraph that he was "gobsmacked" by the selection of Beer and wrote him off even before he has bowled a ball. "The team will have to change again after the next Test," he said. "Good on Michael Beer, good bloke and good player, but look at this as a job interview and show me his qualifications to get this job. He doesn't have any. He is not qualified for the job they have given him. Sending him out there next week, what are they trying to do? "They are clearly telling Nathan Hauritz, 'You are never playing Test cricket again.' I don't understand that. Xavier Doherty should never have played the first two Tests. Michael Beer shouldn't be playing this one."